UPDATE 3-Two drone strikes kill five in Yemen -officials

December 24, 2012|Reuters

(Adds second attack, raises death toll)

SANAA/ADEN, Dec 24 (Reuters) - At least five people werekilled in two drone strikes in south Yemen on Monday in whatsecurity and local officials said were attacks on suspected alQaeda-linked insurgents.

Improving stability and security in Yemen is a priority forthe United States and its Gulf Arab allies because of itsstrategic position next to the world's top oil exporter, SaudiArabia, and shipping lanes, and because it is home to one of themost active wings of al Qaeda.

Monday's strikes were the first in almost two months bypilotless aircraft against suspected al Qaeda men in Yemen, animpoverished country of mountains and desert on the southwesterncorner of the Arabian Peninsula.

The United States has escalated its use of drones against alQaeda in Yemen, where the group exploited mass anti-governmentunrest last year to seize swathes of territory in the southbefore being driven out by a military offensive in June.

The officials said the first drone strike hit a vehicle in atown in al-Bayda province, killing at least two suspected alQaeda militants. One of those killed in the attack was aJordanian citizen, a local official and a resident said.

Family members of the other man, a Yemeni called Abdul RaoufNaseeb, confirmed he was one of those killed.

A Yemeni al Qaeda militant of that name narrowly escaped aU.S. drone strike in November 2002 that killed several al Qaedaoperatives including Qaed Salim Sinan al Harithi, an allegedplotter behind the bombing of the USS Cole off Yemen in October2000 in which 17 U.S. sailors were killed.

In the second drone strike on Monday, at least three peopleriding two motorcycles and carrying pistols were killed by amissile in Hadramout province, a security official said, addingthat they were suspected members of al Qaeda.

Residents said the Hadramout attack happened on theoutskirts of the coastal town of al-Sheher. The residents said afourth person was wounded in the strike.

The U.S.-backed military offensive drove the militants outof areas they seized in the south but has not prevented themfrom launching attacks that have dealt damaging blows to thearmy and security apparatus.

Naseeb had fled to al-Bayda from Lawdar province during aU.S.-backed military offensive in Lawdar earlier in 2012.